Pastor says Jamaica church not closing

The pastor of a Jamaica church is denying that his church is in danger of closing its doors as a result of a brutal attack on a member of his congregation last July.

“I don’t now where they got that,” said the Rev. Kehinde Oyetunde, leader of the Celestial Church of Christ, speaking with the Chronicle in a telephone conversation on Wednesday. “We have services and we are staying open.”

The church, located at 150-08 Linden Blvd., is in a largely industrial area of Jamaica. A report published Sunday said attendance had dropped from more than 100 per service to about 20,

Last July 11, a woman who had just left nighttime services at the church was attacked near the intersection of 150th Street and Beaver Road.

She allegedly was robbed of her cash, cell phone and MetroCard at gunpoint and sexually assaulted. Four men between the ages of 17 and 20 were arrested and charged in connection with the crime. Authorities last July said all four men lived at the same halfway house on South Road in Jamaica.

Oyetunde said the woman is doing well in the aftermath of her ordeal.

He attributed a reported drop in attendance at services to winter weather.